1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the mounting and support of hard disk drives for computers and, in a preferred embodiment thereof, more particularly relates to apparatus for removably supporting a plurality of hot plug-connected hard disk drives.
2. Description of Related Art
Hard disk drives for a file server or other type of computer are often mounted, in a vertically or horizontally stacked array, in a rectangular sheet metal "cage" structure which may be disposed within the computer housing or externally thereto. For operational convenience and flexibility, each disk drive is typically "hot plug" connected within the cage. This type of electrical connection permits any of the supported disk drives to be removed and re-installed within the cage without disturbing the operation of the other disk drives.
To effect this desirable hot plug connection of each of the disk drives, each disk drive is typically supported on a carrier structure which is slidably and removably insertable into the cage to mate an electrical connector carried on a rear portion of the drive or its carrier structure with a corresponding electrical connector on a back plane circuit board suitably supported at the rear interior side of the cage. Ejector mechanisms are typically associated with the carrier structures and are used to provide a mechanical advantage for the carrier to facilitate the insertion and removal of the carrier. These ejector mechanisms operate by interacting with the cage structure to provide such mechanical advantage, and have been provided in a wide variety of types and configurations.
Conventional ejector mechanisms tend to have one or more operational or configurational disadvantages including being relatively complex and cumbersome to use, requiring two-handed operation, being undesirably bulky, and having an at least somewhat counter-intuitive mode of operation.
From the foregoing it can be seen that a need exists for an improved pluggable device ejector mechanism that eliminates or at least substantially reduces the above-mentioned problems, limitations and disadvantages typically associated with conventional ejector mechanisms used on hot-pluggable disk drive carrier structures and other pluggable devices. It is to this need that the present invention is directed.